A "surge" of 33,000 additional troops in 2009 - in response to increased insurgent attacks - led to an uptick in U.S. deaths over previous years, with 499 killed in 2010. Prior to the surge, the most U.S. troops killed in a single year was 155 in 2008, according to CNN figures.

The surge in U.S. deaths comes as NATO is drawing down and handing over security control to national forces. Some 10,000 U.S. troops are scheduled to depart by year's end, with all U.S. military personnel out of Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

soundoff(653 Responses)

I really need to way in on this subject. We need to stay long enough to militarily train and arm every female in this country to defend themselves. Arm them with weapons, birth control, cell phones and books and computers. They are the target of these domineering regimes and they have the most to lose in any situation. This program is a lot cheaper and effective because no one has more at stake than a woman. This will terrorize other regimes and bring the confines of that religion to a screeching hault.

I really need to way in on this subject. We need to stay long enough to militarily train and arm every female in this country to defend themselves. Arm them with weapons, birth control, cell phones and books and computers. They are the target of these domineering regimes and they have the most to lose in any situation. This program is a lot cheaper and effective because no one has more at stake than a woman. This will terrorize other regimes and bring the confines of that religion to a screeching hault.

D.A.N., please tell me how you can say that 9-11 had anything to do with Muslim terrorists when you look at Building #7's detonation?? IT fell just as "perfectly" to the ground as the other two buildings without being hit by even a flying bugger. If you can explain something which even the Congress's 9-11 Comimssion Report couldn't explain, then you must be the World's smartest man. Either that, or the World's biggest idiot, you take your pick!

You seem to be forgetting all about the C.I.A., D.A.N. With their total lack of both sophistication and funds, it's quite dubious that the Muslim terrorists could have carried out an attack such as 9/11on their own! Besides, never put anything past the C.I.A.!!!

What a hot topic today it is when August month is called the deadliest for Americans. If you all remember Last year too in similar way has been termed as the deadliest year despite the fact that in last 10 years of occupation all major, heavy and technologically highly sophisticated weapons have been used against these bare footed Afghans fighting occupation but the so called super power constantly loosing ground and is faced with humiliating defeat. This is what you we all must think over honestly and see why mosquitos are defeating dianasaurs on Afghan soil. Why not we all look to the history and take no lessons from it? Which invader in Afghanistan has won? Remember untill and unless you and we all do not dare to stand against the MIC and PENTAGON and stop this death merchandise in world politics.

you the stupid G W Bush should have confronted me with logic and reason then calling me .... You are probably the real ex President Bush, used to use of power then logic or reason. Whole world knew Bush's shares in MIC, Black Water and oil companies therefore wars, deaths and destruction all over the world has always been his business and a source of livelihood. He has made Americans to pay for his blunders for which he has been condemned during last election. Americans like you are responsible for where Americans as a nation is standing today. History has condemned you and Americans as a nation has spoken against you.

Thank's George Patton for support. I am basically from the war front where I as a humanist see the situation and its repercussions for humanity all over the world. I am not just an anti America but anti warmongers in America as they are responsible for humiliation of mankind all over the world. Luckily majority of Americans now realize and understand their real designs therefore have given clear verdict for a CHANGE but unfortunately President OBAMA has deceived them.

Yeah i'm deployed right now... We found a nice sized weapons cache. about 400+ artillery shells, rpg rounds, etc. over 1.5 ton worth. Guess what writing was on it? CHINESE!!! I swear to God and I'm not joking!

You are an idiot...Just want to get that out of the way. You are a member the American Military and if you are deployed I know you have sat through 1000 OPSEC briefings. That being said, you know you're not suppose to things like this on the internet, ESPECIALLY a news website.

Last month these CIA guys among Taliban carried out sabotage operation at Xyngiang province Kashgar city in China killing people and damaging properties. Chinese are well aware that US occupation of Afghanistan is in fact finding a base for fighting against China and central Asian states and for this already in Afghan provinces Kunar, Nooristan and Badakhshan militants strongholds have been established therefore how one can expect Chinese to see their demise the way USSR has been disintegrated. Not only China but other nations in the region too understand US intentions in this region therefore all have the right to defend themselves against US evil designs. This is main reason that Americans will see each day, week, month and an year the dealiest in this region. The best way is to change America in accordence with the desires of American nation which one can easily see in the humiliating defeat of Bush in last elections. Obama's slogans for a change and his victory in fact had been American national verdict against the war mongers in MIC and Pentagon which must be respected if one wish to save American from burial in this region.

GULF OF TONKIN, BABY!!!!! i LOVE fake & staged Wars!! They make my stocks go up!!! I don't care if some people get hurt...i don't know them. All i know is when my stocks go up, i make money. i get more money, i get a nicer ride. i hope that lockheed martin installs xray machines in every airport and every office building for that matter, i make money. i don't give a sh if it causes radiation cancer in you...i don't know you. i just want to make money...increase my quality-of-life...isn't that what we ALL want?!??? i say as far as fake wars, staged wars, false flag operations...i say BRING IT ON!!! you gotta enjoy life cause you can't take it with you when ya go!

You are absolutely right when speaking the Pentagon language. Soon you all will face the consequences and will reap what you have sown on Afghan soil. Each passing moment will prove more deadly as after all it is the law of nature which no one can change.

The truth is just too sinister, too complex, and too masterfully ensconced in a thick veil of secrecy for most people to wrap their minds around. The rabbit hole goes very, very deep my friend. There is no limit to what these people are capable of..

GEORGE W. BUSH & DICK SHOOT HIS BEST FRIEND IN THE HEAD CHENEY ARE BOTH DRAFT DODGERS AND ARE BOTH WAR CRIMINALS. THEY ARE TRAITORS TO OUR COUNTRY & SHOULD BE LOCKED-UP. BUT THEY NEVER WILL BE CAUSE WE HAVE NO SAY IN OUR GOVERNMENT.

All of the so-called "Terrorists" come from Saudi Arabia...but , we love them. And, we'll send them all the money they can possibly ask for? We will never invade the countries that kill us ... we will send them flowers,...and money...and more money.

Many civilians have been killed. Several due to gunshot wounds and many more due to IEDs that the insurgents are planting. Sad when civilians get killed because of the insurgents yet the insurgents don't care, and the civilians don't do anything to help or stop it.

How is it when the insurgents, the Taliban or other terrorist networks kill is it the USA's responsibility? EVERYMAN HAS THE RESPONSIBILITY THEMSELVES TO KNOW RIGHT FROM WRONG AND WHEN THEY PLANT IED'S. PUT EXPLOSIVES ON THEMSELVES, IN CARS OR ON MULES AND EVEN ON CHILDREN AND KILL PEOPLE IT IS ONLY THEIR RESPONSIBILITY NO ONE ELSE'S!

IED are not precise as anyone driving in the street can be hit, but they have no other solution. Young suicide bombers are extremely rare, generally their age is 19-24y. Anyway it is repulsive the use of children, but the USA are the invaders causing all this mess. Additionally the casualties caused by the US are extremely understated as they consider everyone killed automatically a terrorist.

Building 7 of the World Trade Center kind of proves that 9-11 is a hoax, don't you think? I hate to tell you buddy...we've all been deceived. Yeah, I know, it's not easy to admit that you were tricked, and fooled, I had a hard time with it myself. But, you live and learn, I guess, is all I can say.

The US military presence in Afghanistan achieved what? Is the country a democratic one? Did it stop the huge opium production? Are the radical islamic terrorist groups gone? None of the above. It's only bringing the death of countless young americans, destroying their families and wasting piles of money, which the country needs now more than ever. Of course the war is hugely profitable for a cluster of big, private(!) companies. Bet they want it to go forever. And it is them who cover it up in veil of 'patriotic' stories/movies/articles/tv reports etc. So the passionate soldiers who declare "I served my country!" and expect recognition for that, actually served the interests of these companies. The scope of lies and duplicity is unbelievable...

"Tell a lie often enough, loud enough, and long enough, and people will believe you." George W. Bush
"A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on." Winston Churchill
"History is written by the victors.." Winston Churchill
"History will be kind to me for I intend to write it." Winston Churchill
"There's nothing so absurd that if you repeat it often enough, people will believe it." – William James (1842-1910) The father of modern Psychology
"...concentrate on one enemy at a time and blame him for everything that goes wrong; people will believe a big lie sooner than a little one; and if you repeat it frequently enough people will sooner or later believe it." Adolf Hitler
"If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.” Adolf Hitler diatribe
"...the primitive simplicity of their minds they more readily fall victims to the big lie than the small lie, since they themselves often tell small lies in little matters but would be ashamed to resort to large-scale falsehoods. It would never come into their heads to fabricate colossal untruths, and they would not believe that others could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously. Even though the facts which prove this to be so may be brought clearly to their minds, they will still doubt and waver and will continue to think that there may be some other explanation." The Big Lie technique , Adolf Hitler , Mein Kampf, vol. I, ch. X

As long as David Rockefeller and Evelyn Robert de Rothschild keep making money, who cares. The CIA is running opium out of Afghanistan on military planes under the guise of diplomatic cargo. Rockefeller (Conoco Phillips, Exxon, Chevron) and Rothschild (BP, Shell) are building natural gas pipelines from the Caspian through Afghanistan to Pakistan. Mining operations have begun for Lithium in Afghani mines. And meanwhile CIA officer Anderson Cooper (Vanderbilt heir) is selling the news story every night.

YOUR INSANE! AND IF YOU THINK THAT ANY TERRORIST HAS THE RIGHT TO KILL ANYONE FOR ANYBODY ELSE'S ACTIVITY YOUR JUST AS RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR DEATHS! AS FOR ANY COUNTRY THAT TAKES UP THIS FIGHT AGAINST THESE EVIL PEOPLE THEY SURLY WILL BE REWARDED FOR THEIR SACRIFICE! EVIL IS EVIL NO MATTER WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE you THINK THEY ARE! AND THEY SURLY WILL BE SENT TO HELL WHEN THEIR JUDGMENT DAY COMES!

Then why the hell am I fight for YOU? I'm over here, risking my life, away from my family. Guess you just want to get rid of the mlitary all together then? Where you ever in the mlitary? My sister-in-law's cousin lost his legs over here fighting for the country. If it wasn't for the military there wouldn't even be a UNITED STATES!! We could have given up during the Revolution and where would we be today? Don't like the mlitary, then leave.

That's telling him Ryan, he's a piece of crap taking every advantage he can living here in the USA! We TRUE Americans support you and making Afghanistan a nation that is with us in this war on terror is a good thing to stop it from being a safe haven for terrorists, But it is high time for the afghans themselves to do the job!

When criticizing America for this war, its important to remember why we are there in the first place. This country was used as one gigantic training facility for terrorists. Once they launched an attack on us, it was time to remove the threat. Taliban did not want to hand over Bin Laden and the gang, so we needed to take them down. Otherwise you would have all these nutbags singing around in a sand castle training their group and plotting up more ways to kill Americans. Thays not acceptable. Is it time to pull out and go home? I think so. I think whatever happens there now, they got the message that an attack on U.S soil will result in an invasion. Not worth it for the Taliban. If Rick Perry gets elected, you can bet theyre going to be cool. Theyre not going to risk another cowboy Texan with a temper sending in troops again

You are such a LIAR! You should get out of America and die in your own country! There is video proof of Afghanistan terrorist camps even before Bush II was elected! Clinton bombed them! And al Qaedaq leader is dead which had claimed responsibility for the attacks IN AFGHANISTAN!

Dan – you are a liar. he video shawed people armed with Ak47 to defend their country. The terrorists did not use AK47. They were trained in US flight schools, used knives and came from Germany. OBL was in Sudan and escaped to Afghanistan after Clinton bombed Sudan or forced Sudan to expell him.

You are a worthless piece of crap lying about anything you can to defame America! You are from Italy, America is not your homeland! Why don't you go back home and start your propaganda from there!!? Nobody is defaming your country because America is not your country! And There are photos that depict bin Laden in Afghanistan at training camps and Clinton also bombed them along with what he thought was a WMD(some kind of biological weapons factory)plant in Sudan not bin Laden, LIAR!

Dan – I am an US tax payer, but I can change my country very quickly. I am not linked to any country for ever. USA is the best country in the west, but still the most dangerous for their military capability. Clinton tried to kill OBL in Afghanistan. Training camps were not for terrorists as they did never use AK47, but other weapons. There were not WMD in Sudan, but these bombing alone fully justified 9/11 idiot.

The USA hates evil and will destroy it wherever it exists! As for you and your kind you hate and show spite and envy for our power to combat your evil minded kind!!! WE WILL DEFEAT YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!! AS FOR YOUR TAX MONEY, I AM GRATEFUL WE ARE USING IT TO KILL THOSE YOU LOVE!!!!!! WHAT YOU DO WITH YOUR LIES THE ISLAMIC FAITH CALLS OUTWITTING NOT LYING WHICH STILL IS A LIE AND GOD WILL PUNISH YOU ALL!!!!!!

You will not defeat Islam. Your soldiers will continue to die for long long time. I simply reported facts correctly. Anyone can verifie that doing a search. No WMD in Iraq, no WMD in Sudan. Clinton tried to kill OBL and caused 9/11. Thousands of American died for no reason but to protect Mubaraq and Israel. If you are happy with that it is your problem.

People should learn about the history of Afghanistan prior to and starting after the Russian invasion. The Afghan country had been destroyed by the violence from Russia, then further by Taliban rule . I understand why U.S. troops are stationed there but let's not blame the Afghan people for this war. There are many victims from this war and the Afghan people who lost their family members, homeland, and are prejudiced against are the biggest. Also Bin Laden was Saudi Arabian, and he helped to destroy Afghanistan and had many connections to the U.S. prior to 911.

IN 1979 OR EVEN DECADES BEFORE THE UK NEVER INVADED AFGHANISTAN OR PERSECUTED THEIR PEOPLE! THE RUSSIANS ONLY WANTED TO EXPAND THEIR COMMUNISM THERE, IDIOT! THEY NEVER HELPED AFGHANISTAN FROM ANY UK INVASION, DOUBLE IDIOT!!!

I'm not stereotyping Muslims! I am sorry if it sounds that way, but as you all can see there are not many leaders of the Muslim world who truly follow in God's spirit! What I want to say is that anyone with any religious beliefs that causes another to suffer IN ANY WAY WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE INCLUDING CHRISTIANS, JEWS AND MUSLIMS! UNLESS OF COURSE THEY HAVE COME TO GOD IN TRUE REPENTANCE! AND UNLIKE SOME CHRISTIANS WHO THINK THEY MIGHT GET AWAY WITH IT ANOTHER TIME OR TWO TRUE REPENTANCE IS JUST THAT!

Get out of the middle east and stop letting our service members be killed for nothing !!!! How more Viet Nam's do we have to go through before WE take over and run our government correctly !! Stop it NOW !!!!!

People need to stop dising bush about what he did and/or didnt do. Yes i understand that it may have been his fault that we went to war but it was for a purpose. Now think before you respond, what would you have done if a terrorist group desided to attack america when you were persident? unlike any of you he had a job to do and it was to protect you and clean up the mess caused by terrorists.

Payton, why US were attacked in first place. And US always have a chance to be attacked cose US is a leader in making orphans all over the world and those kids growing up with hate and only one way of life. Revenge. And stop thinking that u did right thing going to Iraq and Avganistan. All those terrorist from New York were from Saudi Arabia anyway, but now you will have sleepless nights after those wors. Just wait for another attack.

One, where did you grow up? Spelling, grammar suck. Second, so the US is responsible for ALL the orphans in the world? Including Africa where there is drought and disease that kill people off? We're responsible for dictators who kill parents because they can? REALLY? So I guess Russian invading Afghanistan and killing people was the US's fault also? The Plague in Europe all those years ago causing orphans was our fault? I'd step lightly on what you say about this country. Just like criticizing the military. Criticize one, criticize all.

I think the nuking thing would be great. It squick and easy. people will rebuild and life will find a way. yeah it kills many innocent people, but it also stopd killing many more people and troops from future events. If world leaders really wanted peace and not war, they would not have war, and settle things a different way...nuke. War is a gateway for raping the country in which they attack. Everyone knows this. Countries will take what they want, or try to, and make money from the process. That is what war is all about......money.

I am not sure what the solution is. As far as our government being voted in by the people, according to factcheck.org approximately 40 % of eligible voters failed to vote for the 2008 election. There has been controversy in the past that electronic voting machines malfunctioned, Flordia during the 2004 election for example.. Also, it is very difficulty to believe that the majority of the American people support the continuation of hostility's towards two sovereign states that A) had nothing to do with 9/11. B) posed no threat militarily only to C) find the perpetrator in a third nation. Perhaps the populous have become disillusioned by the choices?

Patrick in my opinion it has been many a moon since Washington gave a hoot about what Americans want. The politicians are too loyal to their benenfactors to care about us. We aren't invited to the party, we just get to pay for it.

The issue remains that the US lies to its people, all governments do, but Americans claim they live in absolute freedom and they contol the government.
Remember after 9/11? Iraq did it, and the American public blindly supported it without any proof? After the invasion of Iraq, the story changed to Iraq/Saddam has WMDs. So Bush invaded. After Saddam was gone and no WMD's were found Iraq was a "Military Threat" Funny how many times the story changes.

Then Afghanistan, why is the US there? Bin Laden was there? Sheltered by the Taliban? Ok but when the US went in they attacked major cities on the opposite end of the country. Bin laden for about 3 months before US forces got onto his ex-location. Then where did we claim to find him? Pakistan

Now I ask you and all Americans. If you believe you were in Iraq because of WMD's, fine. but I ask you, Saddam said he did NOT have WMDs. There was no evidence of WMDs, and the UN inspection detected 0 WMDs. North Korea claims to have WMDs have tested WMDS and Kim Jon-IL has claimed to possess them. Why has the US not invaded North Korea? Can anyone answer me that?

The US keeps to its claim that Iran has WMDs, denied by its government and no evidence from UN inspections. But if the US really thinks Iran has WMDs why not invade? Because the US knows Iran has nothing, but they hate Iran because they are the only Muslim country that won't bend over backwards for the US, they are outspoken against Israel and flip America off every time, whereas Saudi Arabia and Pakistan bend over for the US each time. But once Ahmedinajad is gone the US will establish a puppet government there too

The idea of Afghanistan was created by the British and Russian empires. There is nothing unifying the people within this specifically delineated geographic boundary. It will never succeed as anything more than a narco-state. Legalize drugs!

Who cares who started? He could end it. like he said he would. But he didn't. So yeah – he lied, and people died. How is what he said inaccurate? Is Bush the moral standard? If not, who cares what that idiot did? Obama was supposed to be CHANGE we can believe in. Doesn't seem like much has changed to me. If anything, he has expanded these ridiculous wars.

I don't disagree with Displace.... Obama should have done more but then again, Obama probably found out how difficult it was to extract troops once they were there and money was being made by strong lobbyist groups.

Obama does leave a lot of unfulfilled election campaign promises so he has to go. But what you'll get won't be any better. The USA is caught in a cycle of poor leaders and poorer decisions. This war will continue for many more years and many more American and NATO and Afghan lives will be lost.

well agree but it has to be stop a lot of people r dieing and a lot of familys r missing loved ones and if anyone is on this site I want to say thank for your loved ones who has died for my freedom and their familys I will pray for yall

I would like to send some of the members of the White House on horse back through some of the villages of Afghanistan and see how they react as sitting ducks. Then they might have an idea of what it is like to be scared for their lives. Its time to cut the strings of their puppets and let us come home. I'm pretty sure only two times in history has Afghanistan been conqured. Guess what? They are still there and not going anywhere. They live to fight because that is all they have to do.

Endless wars, pointless bloodshed, inept political leadership. If you need an explanation look no further than the corruption of war-profiteering and the continued expansion of the military industrial complex. We are absolutely, positively doomed..

We still support the corrupt Saudi Royal Family for their oil, as they let their ppl live in poverty yet reap billions from oil profits.....this was a major motivator for OBL and the 15 other Saudi suicide bombers of 911....10 years later, we still support the Saudi Royal Family, even as they still massacre ppl in Bahrain today during the Arab Spring! We've even sold millions of dollars of military hardware to the Saudis for the future war with Iran! All facts!

Uhhhh, bacon eater... we are doing the same thing here in the great ol' USA. I fou don't see that and know that then yo are a blind. We have poor, we have sick, we have people killing each other for drugs. Yet, we still have millionaires flaunting about in their private jets. SAME THING SMARTY PANTS.

As a soldier I know what it is like to serve overseas and go through the every day struggles like our men and women are currently doing and have done. I can't express to you how difficult it is to lose someone or watch one of your buddies get hurt. I can't speak for everyone but I can speak for most. I am tired of dealing with this endless war and ready to get back to serving my country on my soil. Good luck to the ones who are over there now and in the future.

Thank you and your family for your service. My post to Larry Landis below: Well said Larry. VFW #9223062 HM2 3rd Marines (3,3,3) As an example: My cousin was CO of a remote 505. When he came home he lived in my aunt's cellar without seeing the light if day for five years. The PTSD from serving 2,3,4 and 5 tours is going to be beyond our comprehension. Ignorance by the electorate is not an excuse: We are all responsible!

4th Ifantry Division here. Not many people can comprehend what kind of damage serving overseas will do to a person. Most people brush it off as if it is not a real problem. PTSD is something that is real hard to deal with and may never go away. Thanks to all who serve.

You have spoken loud and clear...for me. My son-in-law, a USAF Pilot, soon returns to Afghanistan. He will leave his family, my daughter, his baby girl...his dogs. His home. His life. And I no longer know why. There is no why. My heart goes out to every single human being who is doing without those they love – those who serve and are constantly in harms way – and those they leave behind. It's time to bring 'em all home. To those whom have lost a loved one to these conflicts, I'm sorry. Truly truly sorry.

9/11 was blowback for our support of corrupt thugs in the ME, like the Saudi Royal Family-that was a major motivation for OBL, and the 15 other Saudi suicide bombers of that day......and look, 10 years later, we still support the Saudi Royal Family, even as they massacred people in Bahrain! Disgusting!......I do not see the war on terror ending anytime soon.....next is Syria, then Iran....

Oh My!!! How is it that people are so ignorant!!! Americans wake up this is NOT about the Next Prez elections this is about People Dying!! Americans, Iraqies and Afghanastanies!! I dont care if we Kill all the Al Queda fools! Anyone that thinks Perry will do our Nation any good needs to look at what he Hasnt Done for Texas!!! He did Not balance our Budget he cause thousands of Teachers to lose their Jobs, he squandered Millions of Texas Dollars to keep him housed in fear of returning to the Governers Mansion after the Texas people paid to have it renovated once someone burned it! In one breath he wants to secure the Texas Borders from the Illegal Mexican ensurgents the turns around and says let them come in a day later announces he is running for President. He is NOT someone to be trusted with the security of a Nation. I truly Understand why the Mexican people want to be here to give their Children a better life. My question is...why dont these people fight for the Right to live in their own Country and make the Life Better there just as many Countries have all ready done. What is the problem with letting go of their Nationality and becoming U.S. Citizens as other Nations that have come here have done? Just Sayin.....back to the topic at hand. Again I say who cares who is at fault for this WAR, lets pray for the losses of life (ON ALL SIDES) get our American Troops home and allow the Peolple that did Not appreciate our efforts to get on with the rebuilding of an Al Queda Nation and we begin a War on Gangs in America and let the other Nations worry about themselves. And if you are living in America and Hate the Americans Get the Hell out of our Country and return to Your Own!

The war on terror is what it is. It is really easy to point out how terrible the current situation is, but no one really knows how bad it would be if we did not have any troops over there. One thing to note about the helicopter disaster is it was full of black operatives. The benefits of the missions these guys carry out will not be revealed to the public for decades. All I know personally is nothing comparable to the World Trade centers collapsing has happened in the United States in the past decade, despite all the ramblings of the lunatics over there.

The Taliban terrorizes the residents of this country and milks them for all they are worth regardless of how many foreign troops are there, so comparing us to terrorists is flat out stupid. There are plenty of reasons, large fields of opium poppy plants among them, other than terrorist attacks on the US for us to be over there. Plenty of reasons for us to be involved in a bunch of other countries as well, but you have to pick your battles. As many people have pointed out, our troops over there are volunteers; and I support them in every facet of this war. This is the war we were meant to fight; not Iraq which people seem to use interchangeably with this war. We cannot just stop it, because people are tired of hearing about other people fight

The war on terror, much like the war on drugs, is an abysmal failure. Terrorism is an idea, not a country nor subversive groups whose ideologies promote terrorism. Ideologies cannot be eradicated, they can only be vilified. These endless, ill-fated wars have bankrupted this country, killed thousands and served to divide us along party lines, all to further the agenda of war profiteering and the expansion of the military industrial complex.

Stop trying to wash the voilence out of this region with the blood of patriots. The tribes in this region have been at war since recorded time, and this will not be resolved by any army fighting a limited fight. Even an army as magnificent as the US military will not resolve this madness.
We cannot leave, or they will attack us again, thus, it is time to escalate the fight, and put down anything not wearing red, white, and blue, and singing Yankee Doodle Dandy. The time for nice is over, diplomacy will not work. Put this rabid dog down, and keep him down. Better to fight them now, then have to nuke them later. It may seem harsh, but it is actually kinder than our response after they nuke one of our cities. And they are stupid enough to try.

Very sad news, of course–so much bloodshed and heartbreak. But leaders take us to war, the populace goes along, a volunteer military volunteers to go where they're told to go, and so, we have what we have. One way of cutting down such engagements, I think, would be asking the populace to actually pay for these wars–higher taxes to pay the 2 billion bucks a week, rather than borrowing the money from China. If the populace was asked to sacrifice-whether in a draft, having Victory Gardens and gas rationing stamps as they did in WW2, paying higher taxes to fund the wars, etc-then we wouldn't be in such engagements. The populace goes along with war, for the most part, as long as they don't have to pay for it or serve in it. An anti-war Ron Paul won't get the republican nomination, and an anti-war Kucinich won't get the democratic one...we're a nation grown comfortable with constant war...even when August is the worst month in a decade for casualties.

We were sold a bill of goods on Vietnam and I thought we learned a valuable lesson when we left defeated. The same with Iraq to completely destroy the country with a pack of lies. I remember seeing the Russians leaving Afghanistan after years of war. And then we torture and kill thousands to find and destroy 1 man, In 1961 we had the draft or we could enlist and I enlisted and we lost 58,000+. Your point is excellent but the public was sold by Fox and other networks and the public never says what will it cost not only in lives but how much is it going to cost me. Rah Rah for war. As an active member of the Vietnam Veterans I wish others could see all of efforts it takes to get our wounded vets health service they deserve from a war that started in 1961. It is a nightmare to try and get them what benefits they deserve and wars go on.

Well said Larry. VFW #9223062 HM2 3rd Marines (3,3,3) As an example: My cousin was CO of a remote 505. When he came home he lived in my aunt's cellar without seeing the light if day for five years. The PTSD from serving 2,3,4 and 5 tours is going to be beyond our comprehension. Ignorance by the electorate is not an excuse: We are all responsible!

The war on terror is something the United States will never get out of. It will bleed into other countries like it's already doing. Pakistan should have been invaded instead of Afghanistan. Most terrorists hail from there or Saudi Arabia or Iran.

Ben, I agree with your sentiment. However, we can support our troops and ask our government to stop the sacrifice. When I came home from Vietnam I was enraged by the protestors. I did not mind the spit as much as the possibility that my friends had died for a mission that had no benefit for the people of Chu Lai (3rd Marines) and nothing to do with US national security. Sadly, we now know that the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was based on a Johnson/Pentagon lie. If it were not for the protestors tens of thousands more American lives would have been lost. It is our responsibilty to ensure that American servicemen and women are asked to defend our country and nothing more. The most costly lie since Vietnam was GWB's campaign promise "not to use our military for nationing building." It is past time to withdraw our trrops.

Thank you MR. Bush for killing so many. Now, if you had kept your eye on the ball, taken bin Laden when you had him in Tora Bora, rather than ordering the US troops to stand down so that the keystone cop Afghan army could allow him to escape into Pakistan, it would have all been over, but no, you needed to get into Iraq, because that's what Haliburton wanted you to do. Idiot.

Really? Bush has been out of office for quite awhile now. You can blame the previous administration if you so choose for all this war mongering and death, but Presidents and their cabinet are nothing but puppets being played by the corporate oligarchy who profit the most from these endless wars. Get a clue. Obama has had plenty of time to put an end to this insanity but he too, just like his predecessor is nothing but a puppet for the NWO masters who hide behind the veil of engineered partisan politics..

Why don't you get your figures right? The previous high was 65 in July 2010. Why not get down to what the problem really is, and that is an extremist sect of a religion that no one ever wants to mention that is the problem. I recognize that there are those in the Islamic faith that believe in peace and not violence. We have the same problem with extremist Protestants and Catholics that believe in forcing their beliefs on others. A strong response is what is needed to rectify the problem. They want to kill themselves and take as many out with them when they do it, I say help them in the first part without allowing the second.

Afghanistan has done nothing to the united states, their poor people who are trying to survive till the next day. Its ARAbs! They ruined my beautiful country and plenty of innocent lives have paid for there unreligious islamic ways.

Your right pashtunyar, but you have to know that the taliban allowed this to happen and continue in the fight. If their truly religious they should not treat others in the way they do with the maiming and killings of people in which THEY believe should die or suffer! It is the afghans responsibility to fight them NOT NATO OR THE USA!

I consider you my brother, pashtunyar. I too wish that the afghans had more education, but again that is not our responsibility it is the afghans. We are spending 2 billion dollars a week there and we are not appreciated. We should leave!

Dan – There were no terrorists in Vietnam, Korea, Iraq, Serbia, but US still killed thousands of civilians there. They are the only country having used the nuclear bomb. Only very few AQ members were in Afghanistan with OBL, may be 300. Taliban even did not know who they are.

The real question is, when are people going to wake up to the grim reality that presidents and their cabinet members are just puppets being manipulated by their corporate-oligarch-international banker-masters? The political process at the national level, from start to finish is fixed and overseen by those who hide behind the think veil of partisan politics and bureaucratic insolvency. Welcome to the Matrix..

I wish we would get out of this rotten, no good place tomorrow, but if we are going to stay there we need to prosecute the war in different manner.

The Soviet Union proved you cannot win a ground war in Afghanistan. Our military on the ground should only be there for reconnaissance operations. When the Taliban is sighted they should call in air support to take them out. The taliban may get lucky at take out a Chinook with an RPG, but they darn sure aren't going to take out an F-16 with an RPG.

We were promised an end to these wars and still they continue. I am disgusted by both parties, Republicans for getting into the mess, Democrats for not having the will to get us out. I will not be voting for Obama or the Republican candidate this upcoming election.

al-qaeda blah blah blah....9/11 blah blah...so far the united states and it's government is responsible for killing countless people all around the world....17 navy seals killed so now let us all mourn...for every 1 seal lets go kill 10,000 people....who cares...at the end of the day we'll get our oil...sell them f-15s and f-16s and sell useless body scanners (installed by Lockheed martin. see a connection there?....which will for sure cause cancer...but for now who cares if it does or not)....the elite is selling you fear and most just buy into it. no questions asked....keep on watching sports and drinking beer....be uninformed....fly American flag & say God bless America without even knowing anything about it's true meaning....that's in a nutshell what a common American citizen is....

You couldn't be more correct. We are a nation of fools dying a slow death through corporatism, consumerism, sloth and media engineered rather than individually researched patriotism. Good night America, hopefully when enough people wake up we'll see the powers that be for the terrorists they truly are...

What part of Obama has brought home 30,000 troops in Afghanistan and ended combat missions in Iraq do you not understand? Bush didn't do anything the whole 8 years he was in office except start two pointless wars.

I say we stop the blame game. It is what it is. Al Queda murdered hundreds of innocent people and destroyed a city in a moment of so called Holy War against the evil Americans. We were not in Iraq to free the people we were there to KILL or Capture those who committed an Act of Terrorism towards the American people on American soil! Had Afghanistan NOT sheltered these Murderers and their Armies We would NOT HAVE ENTERED! Trust that the Afghanistan Government TOLD our GOVERNMENT to come on in! Stop blaming our so called Infidel Americans for YOUR COUNTRIES inability to stop INTRUDERS along Your border! Keep Al Queda in your world and you will be opressed just as those in Iraq were. Your insults to the American Soldiers is duly Noted. Have a Nice Life. Your apparent ignorance to the devastation Al Queda will bring your country is astounding. Start looking within to place Blame. For those that continually place sole Blame on George W. Bush Jr. Get a grip he cannot do this alone!!! His advisors, war chiefs, other Countries and NATO were also involved before Bush made the announcement. On Jobs being sent to foreign countries; If I am not Mistaken, that bill was signed and passed during the Clinton administration. As well as the threat being clear and present from Al Queda towards the American People in which Bill Clinton did nothing to prevent such an attack as 9/11, he was too busy clearing his name to be concerned about future attacks on the American People. There is plenty of Blame to go around the World and back on this one. Lets concentrate on our dead Soldiers and bringing home the rest of our Troops from this War on Terrorism Not a War against Muslims!

Hello from the mountains of Colorado. Navy corpsman (8404) with 3rd Marines (3,3,3) in Chu Lai 1965. Imagine a flaming liberal from New England wanting to serve his country when toaday's flag waving neo-cons did not! Not a single one: Wolfowitz, Libby, Feith, etc., and of course all the talking heads promoting the invasion of Iraq on Fox Views. Not to forget GW defending the Mexican border and Tricky Dick's five (5!) deferments.

How does Exxon and BP (which is a British company by the way) have anything to do with Afghanistan? I guess you could make the leap that Exxon or BP made the fuel that was in the planes that were crashed in to the WTC. Or did you forget that little tidbit of why we are in Afghanistan?

We're not in Afghanistan because of 9/11, anymore than Saddam Hussein's regime was toppled because of Al-Queda or the prospect of finding weapons of mass destruction. It's called war profiteering and furthering the agenda of global domination, idiot. And any excuse to drive the expansion of the military industrial complex will do.

What does the age of the Chinook design have to do with anything? It's still in production, and many (most) of the airframes being used in Afghanistan are pretty new. The fact that the basic design is 50 years old is irrelevant when somebody fires an RPG at a helicopter. A brand new design will go down with the same thud as a 50 year old design.

didn't Obama read off his teleprompter a couple months ago that the Afghanistan government was ready to take over control? I guess our enemies, the insurgents, used that speech as a battle cry to prove how wrong he was....

Can we all agree that once things go back to hell in Afghanistan we won't blame which ever President was responsible for withdrawing troops. Let's face it, both outcomes are going to happen. Let's just speed up the process.

We are invaders on their land. We kill them on their land, we are the terrorist. Reverse the roles people. The very word "insurgent" is propaganda. Open your eyes, this isn't a just war. These people have dealt with the Russians and they will continue to deal with us.

How can you know that they were terrorists ?
Had they any label on their bodies ? They were not involved in )/11 as the Highjackers came from Germany, not from Afghanistan. They had no link with Afghanistan.

XE/Blackwater and Halliburton must have found a bipartisan way to bribe our politicians. Or maybe our military advisors are the crooked ones? The Pentagon revolving door or lobbyists may be a problem for Presidents of any party. We should at very minimum put a cooling period of a few years for military officers turning into lobbyists.

The Taliban (Afghanistan) was harboring Bin Laden and providing safe training grounds and attack launch points for Al-Qaeda operatives. They were thus actively engaged in a terrorist "war" with the US. Additionally, the Taliban was one of the most oppressive, cruel, anti-human rights regimes in the world.

Obviously they were/are not equipped to actually engage in an "8 year war" with the US. But the action there is not a "war". This part of the issue is about setting up a stable government in Afghanistan that can run the country effectively after we leave. This part is a requirement of any invasion/government toppling. You can't just up and leave after destroying a country's infrastructure and government.

People demanding we "get out now" without finishing our job there are ignorantly demanding we create Iran #2. What do you think would happen if we left an unstable/weak government? The Taliban would come right back and we'd be nearly back where we started, except for 1 change: The people that actively helped us and depended on us in the post-Taliban era would then feel abandoned, just as Al-Qaeda did after we abandoned them in their war against Russia... which would turn the entire campaign into one giant Al-Qaeda recruiting drive.

10 years later, not much has changed....we are not going to be the "savior" of Afghanistan....sure, build up their own country while our own falls apart.....an occupying army is exactly that: Occupiers. Virtually all of the AQ leader deaths can be attributed to drone attacks and spec ops, let's keep it at that......when the afghan ppl are ready for change, they will act like the libyans and do it themselves......you cannot force change on ppl who don't want it

You're kidding, right? You forgot that the 9/11/01 attacks on the World Trade Towers was launched by Al Qaeda, based in Afghanistan with the consent and support of the Taliban-controlled national government? Afghanistan hosted the terrorists that attacked us?

What everyone has also forgotten is that the aforementioned is the ONLY reason we should be at war with anyone; harboring Al Qaeda. No other reason. If a country is not harboring Al Qaeda, we should not be fighting it.

Yes, we toppled the Taliban=Mission Accomplished. We killed OBL=Mission Accomplished. The average Taliban fighter or "insurgent" is not going to fly a plane into a building again.....the real threat is some lone loser or homegrown nutjob that blows something up......we will not win by shoving change down their throats for the next 25 years......we can however police the country with predator drones and CIA operatives indefinitely until the Afghans are ready to build their own country themselves.....

Bill, thank you for breathing some facts back into these blathering posts. Our actions in Afghanistan have let terrorist organizations know we will bring the fight back to their doorstep and they will endure serious hardship and pain. I prefer not to have troops there either, but what can you do? Sit in your corner of the world and hope everyone else will play nice?

They were there idiot! Now because we are there they are not as much, stupid! Omar can attest to that, IDIOT! Clinton bombed, Bush bombed them and invaded and they all ran like the cowards they are! That is why he was found DEAD in Pakistan! THANK YOU BARAK OBAMA!

In the former administration we had 170,000 ground troops in Iraq at the highest number in 2007. Under president Obama this has been reduced to only 50,000 troops at present, and will further drop to zer0 (0) by the end of this year.

The surge in Afghanistan will be over by the end of the next year.

This would be a total reduction of American ground troops from 220,000 maximum under the former administration of GW Bush, to only 60,000 (and all of those in Afghanistan) by the end of next year. So I have no problem with president Obama saying that he will further reduce this number to zero(0) also by the end of 2014!

So, if I wish our people out of the Middle East by any reasonable time at all, then in 2012 I will vote for the Democrat for president, and it is rather obvious that Democrat is going to be President Obama.

The only Republican that even seems to be against these wars is Ron Paul, unfortunately as a person that believes in such programs as Social Security and FEMA I can not vote for him. I am actually somewhat sorry about that, but that is his position, and I can not allow that to happen if I can help it!!

9/11 was also blowback for our support of corrupt thugs in the ME, like the Saudi Royal Family-that was a major motivation for OBL, and the 15 other Saudi suicide bombers of that day......and look, 10 years later, we still support the Saudi Royal Family, even as they massacred people in Bahrain! Disgusting!

Obama won't and our next president won't because Obama won't be 8 year president. And we're getting a republican because Americans are sick of a lame democrat. So that means our troops will never come home. Hate to say it but it's true.

You are the kind of person that gives the US a bad name in the world. When a country invades another country and destroys their government & infrastructure, the invaders interests are no longer relevant. All that is relevant is the moral job of rebuilding the nation for the citizens of that nation.

It is time to end Bush’s follies and let our country heal from the 390 billion a year in contractors that we cannot afford. Why do we outsource our military anyway? They already have almost half the budget and they took 220 billion a year more in contracts. We shouldn’t hire mercenaries to commit war crimes in our name. This is a lobby problem just like everything else; they just bribe the military for contracts.

I don't know what you're reading. But, those 499 dead in 2010 were in the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. They may be iregulars or in the Reserves or National Guard. But, they're not mercenaries! My friend died in Afghanistan, and he was a U.S. Army soldier.

I don't know what you're reading. But, those 499 dead in 2010 were in the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. They may be regulars or in the Reserves or National Guard. But, they're not mercenaries! My friend died in Afghanistan, and he was a U.S. Army soldier.

Americans are less concerned because OBL is dead and we're (finally) drawing down in Afghanistan. There's a timeline for complete withdrawal–something GWB was extremely reluctant to ever provide if you'll recall.

It's just moronic to think anything like this can or should happen instantaneously.

Be sure and tell that to all the Afghan civilians that will be slaughtered if we leave without ensuring the new government can stop the Taliban from re-conquering the country. Im sure you'll have a grand time explaining to those PEOPLE that they are a "huge waste".

My husband is going back to Afganistan and news like this my eyes tears,
but know what? 13 years ago i got married to a USMC and is the way it is,
that's what the military is for, right? and i wish hem home so bad when he is gone😦
but someone need to do this job and if they don't wanna go to war GET OUT
and we all think about the kids and how much they need their dad but in the end they grow
like any other kid, ...I just wish everyone out there to be back soon and take care, Thanks so much to our troops,

Self determination should be the rule. We do not need to be the police for Afghanistan and if they want to be a failed country that is their right. I always thought it would be easier to let the Taliban gather and then wipe them out with a missile as needed. This waste of US taxpayer dollars including almost 390 billion in no bid contracts needs to end now. This is definitely not Obama’s war and he should end it that way and walk away from Bush’s follies including Iraq.

Virtually every AQ leader that is killed is by drone attack or special ops, so why do we have occupying armies in 2 countries trying to nation build while our own country falls apart??? I can't believe ppl still sign up and believe in this BS 10 years later! We need CIA and drone attacks, that's what produces results....clandestine activities and Intelligence gathering....

And how will the drones know where to strike without people on the ground looking for targets? I suppose you have a magic satellite that can talk to people on the ground and identify the locations of the targets?

Of course, the troops who were lost on August 6 should be remembered and honored. However, I wonder why no media lists the names of the other 35 troop lost this month, or last month, or the month before. There is not a single day of the year that is not the anniversary of the death of at least one soldier in Iraq or Afghanistan. It's a shame that they have to be part of a "big hit" to get recognition at home.

When Bush was in office, left-leaning newspapers like the Washington Post and even CNN posted casualty figures and names of the U.S. dead almost daily. The Washington Post even had a weekly special that provided details and of each of the dead soldiers that week.

It looks like Obama's surge in Afghanistan tripled the dead rate of our soldiers. The press is unusually low-key about these deaths now. (One article summarizing three months is rather quiet.)

Ding-ding...we have a winner with this posting! I can remember the nightly body counts on the news and the "featurettes" displying their names, faces and hometowns. Now under Obama, virtually not a peep about dead soldiers.

Words can't express how much I HATE this POS, paid-off, unrepresentative, greedy and fukin pathetic government that we have right here in the USA. Every fukin one of them should be removed tomorrow as there is obviously an agenda and anyone in a position to stop them is conveniently letting them do whatever the he!l they want. 9/11 was horrible and I wanted revenge as much as anyone BUT IT DID NOT GIVE US THE RIGHT TO INVADE, OCCUPY AND BUILD IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN, PAKISTAN, LIBYA, ETC ALL AT THE EXPENSE OF AMERICAN LIVES AND TAXPAYER DOLLARS. BIN LADIN IS DEAD_MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. We, the citizens, need to force our government to stop acting on corporate interests and do what the GD American people tell them to do. This should not be negotiable at all anymore.

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Afghanistan Crossroads is where CNN's reporting converges -- bringing you a diversity of voices, stunning images and video, global perspectives and the latest news from on the ground in Afghanistan and around the world.